PROGRESS REVIEWED.

Auckland Star, Volume LXXI, Issue 14, 17 January 1940, Page 10

PROGRESS REVIEWED.

STATE HOUSING SCHEME. WAR SLOWS UP WORK. <Bj Telegraph.—Pre*as Association.) WELLINGTON, Tuesday. The progress made with the construction of dwellings under the State housing scheme was briefly reviewed by the Minister of Housing, the Hon. H. T. Armstrong, in an interview this evening. The Ministry of Housing was established in Septeinl>er, 1930, and the building of housert was commenced early the following year. Statistics were quoted by the Minister to show that r>7os houses have been completed since the inception of the scheme. The following was the position on Deceml>cr 29, 1939:—Houses under construction, 24r>0; houses completed, 5705; houses advertised for contracts, 10,057; houses completed and handed over during 1939, 3333; men employed by the Housing Construction Department and contractors, 5162; towns in which work is proceeding, 113. Mr. Armstrong said he had hoped that by this time it would have been possible to show better results than those achieved, but the war had given a serious setback to the scheme. Labour and material which would otherwise have been available had been taken for the building of hutments and other buildings in military camps. However, he thought under the circumstances it could be claimed that good progress had been made with the scheme.